Diana Cuno's expression was now one of pure terror.
What the hell just happened?!
She only remembered walking up to her office, pushing the door open, and then a dark figure flashed before her eyes... after that, everything went black.
Panicked, she looked around, touching her neck as if she could still feel the phantom pain there.
"Security! Where's security?!"
Diana immediately called for security, then hurriedly retreated behind her desk. She had already guessed why the intruder had come to her office... undoubtedly, it was for the server data.
So, her first instinct was to check her computer and notify security to confirm whether the servers had been compromised.
But as Diana sat in her chair, taking a few deep breaths to clear her oxygen-deprived mind, she suddenly froze, realizing the severity of the situation.
Was now really the time to worry about protecting company property?
Those people had hacked the company's servers right in front of her... and then escaped!
So whose responsibility was this?
If there was a massive data leak and intelligence exposure, who would take the blame?
The Regional Director who had clocked out early to go home and sleep? Or that Deputy Director Joanne, who was at the same level as her and only cared about climbing the corporate ladder?
No, no, no... the blame would fall on her! Because she had seen the intruders, survived, and wasn't even injured!
She had to find a way, find a way…
A video call popped up on Diana's screen. With a grim expression, she accepted it.
"Deputy Director Cuno, this is John, the security team leader for tonight. We've detected signs of an intruder and have dispatched a special ops team to your floor for support!"
The security team leader was drenched in sweat.
"Useless!"
Diana cursed first, but then an idea struck her. "Wait... hold off on the support for now. Tell me, were there any casualties?"
"None," John replied succinctly.
"How many people are aware of the breach?" Diana pressed urgently.
"At the moment… aside from me and the security team on duty tonight, only you," John answered. Diana fell into a long silence.
After thinking it over for a while, she made a decisive move. "Listen, John, I'm trying to save you here... if the company finds out you let someone slip right past security, what's going to happen?"
"Internal investigation… demotion, or even termination." John's voice was hoarse, his low spirits evident even through the audio.
Diana laid out her plan clearly. "We were attacked on the highway this afternoon, Technical Director Emilia went missing, and now we've been robbed tonight.
Who does Emilia answer to?"
"She's… she's Deputy Director Joanne's person," John said.
"If something goes missing in this breach, couldn't it have been Emilia's doing? What if she was a mole for another company and used this chance to disappear?
That way, if anything is missing, it wouldn't be because of a security failure on our part. Perhaps Emilia had already stolen the items out earlier?
And you didn't encounter any attacks tonight... security was completely normal, no one was negligent!
Do you think that possibility... exists?"
As Diana's words fell, John fell into silence.
It only took about two breaths before John gritted his teeth and said, "Right! Exactly! Security was completely normal tonight! There were no issues at all!"
"John, no matter what losses our company suffers, we can investigate slowly. But as long as it hasn't been discovered, we know nothing about it.
Even if some internal secrets or data get exposed, it could all have been done by the missing Technical Director Emilia. Do you understand what I mean?
And Emilia was Deputy Director Joanne's person. The entire project was being pushed forward by the two of them. I'm only responsible for drug synthesis, and you're just a dutiful security captain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Diana repeated it once more, strengthening their mutual resolve.
This time, John's tone became equally resolute. "I understand! The surveillance system malfunctioned today, causing the loss of monitoring data, and it must be related to today's convoy attack and Technical Director Emilia's disappearance."
"Very good, Captain John. The Regional Director is holding a meeting tomorrow. I will truthfully report all these facts and let those truly responsible take the blame... not us, the diligent and loyal employees. What do you think?"
After Diana finished speaking, John replied decisively. "Right. Those who actually made mistakes should be the ones punished."
"Good. Remember to delete the conversation records. That's all for now."
Diana hung up the agent, took a few deep breaths while seated, then stood up and retrieved a precious bottle of red wine from the office liquor cabinet.
In these times, grape-brewed red wine was a rarity... even she couldn't bear to drink it often. But today, she had no interest in the usual rituals of decanting or savoring. She simply uncorked the bottle and gulped down two large mouthfuls.
Sorry, Joanne.
If, before today's incident, Diana had still thought about weathering the storm together with Joanne and jointly resolving the series of crises that the convoy robbery might trigger...
Then now, Diana had completely abandoned any sense of goodwill... she only wanted to save herself first.
If it were just a stolen vehicle or one missing person, there would be plenty of room to maneuver. Someone of Emilia's caliber couldn't have caused much impact on the company anyway.
But if someone had entered her office and used her computer, connected to the data server, to do something, the losses would be immeasurable!
It's fine, Diana. You'll definitely get through this...
Diana comforted herself, then quickly began inspecting her computer.
She didn't dare call in professionals, so she could only try to see if she could find out what the mysterious intruder had done with her computer and what data they had stolen.
But clearly, Diana, who wasn't well-versed in networking technology, found nothing.
She didn't even notice that an AI was still in her computer, using her permissions to both mine cryptocurrency and steal data from the server. Nor did she realize that a program was still running within her neural link, utilizing her own cybereye and the audio capture function of the neural link to record every word she spoke and every move she made.
Until a sudden pop-up window flashed into view within her cybereye's display.
[?: A brilliant self-rescue, Dr. Cuno. I almost couldn't resist applauding you.]
Who is that?!
Diana nearly jumped out of her chair in fright.
[?: Calm down, don't worry. Aside from planting a virus in your head that could fry your brain in under a second, I haven't done a thing.]
"You..." A flicker of panic flashed in Diana's eyes. Instinctively, she tried to disconnect her neural link from the network, only to realize it wasn't responding at all!
[?: Save your energy. Don't even think about a physical disconnect... your hands aren't faster than my thoughts when it comes to activating a program.]
Clenching her teeth, Diana forced herself to sound steady. "What do you want?"
[?: Now isn't the time for me to name a price. I think you should take a moment to consider just how much your life is worth... and what your future is worth, too.]
Diana's expression grew more composed. "I can't just hand over my savings at Biotechnica. If I withdraw all my funds now, the company would immediately suspect my involvement when the money disappears.
I have another million eurodollars stashed across various banks in the European Economic Community... it's my emergency escape fund. If you want it, it's yours. But you have to promise to spare my life."
She didn't dare gamble on whether there really was a virus in her head... but considering how she'd blacked out earlier, and how easily this intruder had slipped past all that security into her office…
Diana decided it was better to play along for now.
[?: Fine. One million eurodollars it is... consider it the price of your life. Prepare a CredChip yourself and deliver it to a specified location tomorrow.
Now, let's discuss the price for buying your and Captain John's recording.
If you're unwilling, I could always approach Deputy Director Joanne instead and see what she's willing to pay to keep this recording quiet.]
Diana's eyes widened slightly. "No, don't! Name your price! I... I can find another way to get you the money!"
As long as she kept her job and her position, someone at her level could easily earn back a million.
[?: Then I suggest you think a little harder about how much money you really have left in your accounts.]
"I really don't have that much liquid cash left. Most of my extra income went into investments... real estate, cars, artwork.
The money I earned through legitimate channels is all in the company account. You have to understand, employees aren't allowed to bank outside designated institutions... and I've never been one to embezzle!
Just give me some time. Once this blows over and I land safely, I'll pay you slowly. I still have over four million eurodollars in the company bank. Or let me sell off some assets... it'll take a little time!"
For the first time, Diana regretted not having embezzled more aggressively in the past.
[?: Then use something else in exchange. I've seen many intriguing devices in your database. I believe if I can get my hands on them and sell them to other companies, it could earn me quite a profit.]
Diana wore a bitter expression. "The company won't give me a chance to steal anything for you. Cheap items might be one thing, but if valuable equipment goes missing, there's no way I can escape unscathed."
[?: What if it wasn't your fault? For instance, you merely requested some experimental equipment from headquarters, but it was hijacked en route... that can't be blamed on you, only on the transport crew for not being careful enough. What do you think?]
Diana's mind suddenly began to race.
You troublemakers really have all the ideas, don't you? As a researcher, her brain just couldn't keep up that quickly.
"In that case, it should be fine."
[?: Then it's settled. I'll give you a list... see what you can get your hands on. I need the detailed security personnel arrangements for the transport, the route, and the exact timing.
Once the items are in my possession, this recording won't easily surface again.]
Diana gritted her teeth. "Won't easily appear?"
[?: I mean, if I said I destroyed it, would you believe me? Rather than that, let's maintain a bit of mutual trust and threat between us.
If our collaboration goes smoothly enough, perhaps we'll have opportunities to work together again in the future.
Think about it: if Deputy Director Joanne takes the fall this time and gets ousted, who would be the only one left in the running for Regional Director?
Do you want to be a living Regional Director who can cooperate with me, or a dead former Regional Deputy Director?
I don't think it's a hard choice.]
"Cooperate? I don't even know who you are!" Diana irritably and anxiously picked up the bottle of red wine, taking another hearty swill, each gulp as if it were her last.
[?: You'll find out, but not now. Think it over carefully, Dr. Cuno. For now, go and prepare. Remember to have a million eurodollars ready on a CredChip tomorrow.
The list of equipment I need will also be sent to your email shortly.
Additionally, if you want to completely pin down Deputy Director Joanne, I have a recording here that might interest you.
It's a confession video of Ms. Emilia explicitly stating that Deputy Director Joanne intended to create false pretenses to embezzle funds and even poison Yucca Town.
We can discuss the details after you've provided the million eurodollars. How does that sound?]
Diana's expression suddenly turned eager. "You have a video? Are you sure it's enough to nail Joanne?"
[?: Tomorrow, take the CredChip to the location I specify. Once I have the money, we'll talk about the next step.]
"...Fine!"
Diana clenched her teeth and nodded firmly, agreeing to the mysterious figure's demand.
[?: Excellent. Then just wait for me to contact you again.
Find an expert yourself to delete the virus software. I have your contact information.]
"Understood!" After Diana spoke, there was no response from the other end for a long time.
She waited for a while until she was sure the other party had truly left, then stood up with a grim expression and headed straight for the medical department within the Biotechnica building.
She needed a full check-up and formatting for her cyberware. As she walked, Diana's heavy heart suddenly grew complex... tinged with excitement, even anticipation.
If that guy really had footage that could take down Joanne... maybe she genuinely had a chance to climb higher?
—--
"Hah..."
Mercer let out a long sigh and ended the video call with Diana.
By now, their car had long left Biotechnica's tower far behind and entered the city proper.
It was nearly 3 a.m., the quietest hour in Night City. Mercer cracked the window open, enjoying the breeze as he relaxed into his seat.
"You were talking to that Cuno woman the whole time?" Rebecca asked curiously.
"Yeah, squeezed her for more. These corpos are loaded, I'm telling you. A mid-level manager coughed up tens of thousands, and a Degional Director offered a hundred grand without me even pushing hard. If I really went all out, I could've probably milked three to five million eddies out of her."
The moment Mercer finished, Rebecca's eyes widened, her breathing growing heavy. "Then why didn't you drain her dry?"
"Because I think Dr. Cuno might still be useful. Push too hard, and a cornered dog will bite back... then there's no negotiating."
Mercer figured a million eddies wasn't enough to cripple Diana Cuno. She'd grit her teeth and pay up without holding a permanent grudge.
For now, he'd keep her around.
What good was killing her? No money in it, plus it might piss off Biotechnica. If Wakako buckled under pressure or Biotechnica dug up clues and traced it back to the Kindling Squad...
Wouldn't that just land them on another corporate hit list?
Being wanted by Arasaka was one thing... after all, Mercer had scored big from them. But getting targeted by Biotechnica over Wakako's lousy 300k? Not worth it.
Keeping Diana Cuno alive, on the other hand, had plenty of upside. As long as she obediently secured the cloning equipment Mercer wanted... and he still had their conversation recorded... he could hold this over her head for life. She'd even have to cover for him, because if he went down and ratted her out, she'd be finished too.
Rebecca thought for a long moment but couldn't see what Mercer and that Biotechnica corpo had to discuss. Her mind was fixated on the payout, her eyes gleaming.
Meanwhile, V had already started counting on her fingers, finally working out the math.
"So... we're getting at least 300k from Wakako, plus nearly 1 400 000 from these two corpos. And you said the intel you scored could be sold too? Plus that device we snatched from the Behemoth van... that's another 100k eddies... Let's round it to 2 000 000 total. Minus 400k for the team fund, that leaves 1 600 000."
"There were six of us on this job. You said pay scales with contribution, right? I'd say I pulled at least 40% of the weight."
"That'd be 40% of 1 600 000..."
V's head was practically spinning.
"Sixty... six hundred forty thousand?!" she gasped. "Even after paying you back, I'd still have over 200k left? Holy shit! We're rich!!"
Rebecca had already done the math on her share. "My brother and I didn't contribute much this time... just drove the car. Together, we should get, uh, 10%?"
She glanced at Mercer, a bit unsure. Rebecca felt like she didn't really deserve that much.
Mercer held up two fingers. "V and I get thirty percent each, and the four of you get ten percent each. That's it. If you worked, you get a share."
V felt a twinge of reluctance, but after a moment's thought, she realized Mercer was right. They were all crew, and nickel-and-diming over a few percentage points wasn't her style.
The idea of everyone who pitched in getting an equal cut felt very much like the way things were done on the streets.
When you're running with a crew, even if your choom just drove the car, you make sure they get their fair share. Otherwise, next time they might just drive you straight into the enemy's lap.
V nodded and said, "No objections from me. So thirty percent each for us! Let me calculate that... 480,000 eddies?"
"Not bad with numbers," Mercer joked. "Thought it'd take you another minute."
"Shut it. I'm just not used to dealing with sums this big. Makes my hands shake just thinking about it, so I double-check," V replied.
Pilar couldn't help chiming in. "No kidding! I... I get 160,000 eddies too?!"
"Everyone gets their cut," Mercer confirmed. "We'll split it once the payment clears. But honestly, I hope you all prioritize investing what you earn now back into yourselves.
With better gear and skills, some jobs won't require the whole team. You can take them on solo as side gigs, just kick back 20% to the crew fund.
Even if a job only nets you 100,000 or 200,000 eddies, isn't that better than scraping by with a 10% cut every time?
We got lucky this round... no complications. But we won't always be this fortunate.
Just imagine if a squad of Biotechnica agents and soldiers suddenly showed up on our tails right now..."
Pilar chuckled awkwardly, knowing the comment was aimed mostly at him. "Got it, boss. This time, I'll only set aside a little for Lizzie's!"
He was genuinely calling him "boss" now.
Hell, with this kind of payout, he'd even call him "daddy" if asked!
"Mm." Mercer stretched, feeling the fatigue from a sleepless day and mental exertion. "Tomorrow morning, I'll settle the deal with Wakako and collect the extra 1 000 000 eddies Cuno promised. After that, we're heading to Dogtown."
He squinted slightly and added, "We'll get the base sorted first and see how much it costs. Then tonight, my treat... we'll all hit up Afterlife for drinks."
"Afterlife? Holy shit, that's awesome!" Rebecca exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That's where the baddest Edgerunners hang out!"
V said smugly, "It's really not that special. Just bigger, with slightly more impressive patrons. Compared to other bars, its only real advantage is being clean and organized."
"You've only been there once yourself, and only because Mercer took you," Rebecca retorted, rolling her eyes.
V straightened up proudly, "But I've still been there. Or do you think your Sis V isn't tough enough now? Hah, if anyone starts trouble again, I won't even need A to step in... I'll twist every last one of their heads off myself!"
"Tch, once I get my cyberware upgrade, I won't be far behind you."
Rebecca was already picturing herself tearing through the battlefield. "I'm getting Gorilla Arms! Mercer, you better help me pick a good one!"
"Sure," Mercer nodded, determined to choose the best for her.
Those ridiculously oversized Gorilla Arms from anime that look longer than the person herself? No way. Now that they had money, Mercer would rather get her something higher-end than watch her lumber around with those monstrous appendages.
Cyberpunk aesthetics really were bizarre.
Seeing Rebecca sidle up to Mercer again, V couldn't resist taking another jab. "Not that you couldn't handle Gorilla Arms, choom... but if you wanna keep up with me, you've still got a long way to go."
"Hah? Then I'll install a Kerenzikov too! Once I can actually see you clearly, speedy types like you will eat a shotgun blast. Then you'll see what Guts can really do!" Rebecca's mouth would never surrender, even if her heart already had.
V thought Rebecca had no sense of proportion. "Your eyes might keep up, but can your hands? I can outrun cars now!"
"Then I'll get a Berserk OS! As long as my reflexes match, I can leverage the strength! I don't need to outrun you... just out-aim you!"
Their bickering continued until Pilar subtly raised a finger and pointed behind them. They turned to see Mercer leaning against the car window, properly buckled in, drifting in and out of sleep.
V smirked, exchanged a glance with Rebecca, and both turned away in unison, a temporary truce.
When the car reached the Aldecaldos camp, Rebecca nudged Mercer awake. He lazily opened his eyes. "We here?"
"Yep! Get some proper rest now!" Rebecca's gentle tone made Pilar's skin crawl.
Mercer grunted in acknowledgment, unbuckled his seatbelt, and grabbed the L-69 Zhuo shotgun he'd brought along just in case.
"Just have V come by tomorrow morning. We'll turn in the gig, get paid, then I'll contact Mr. Hands to see if he can secure us a place in Dogtown.
If not, V and I will scout Dogtown ourselves."
Mercer waved dismissively. "That's the plan for now. I need a proper sleep. You all should rest up too. V, I'll swing by with my car tomorrow morning."
V nodded. "Sure, I'll wait for your call."
"What about me? Are we just twiddling our thumbs?" Rebecca wanted to contribute too.
"Browse the net for cyberware you want? After we split the eddies and secure a place, I'll get you all geared up properly. Then we take on some simple gigs to gel as a team.
Eventually, you'll be handling most field ops together. Once the base is set, I'll only step out for major jobs... too risky otherwise."
Mercer paused. "It's fine if people know I'm A, but if they recognize the cyberware on me, trouble might follow. So I'll lay low when possible. You'll have to hold the front lines.
Most gigs are assault types anyway. For simpler netrunning jobs... just breaching security... Lucy and Kiwi can handle them without a hitch.
I also need some downtime to process intel and knowledge."
Rebecca hummed in agreement. "Then I'll wait for you guys at the Afterlife once you're done?"
"Yeah, meet at the Afterlife. After I offload the data and intel, we divvy up the eddies," Mercer confirmed.
Rebecca looked at him. "You don't have to keep mentioning the money split... Alright, got it."
Mercer chuckled, but V suddenly thought of something. "Hey? Didn't we agree you'd take off that mask after this job?"
"Gotta have some sense of ceremony, right? Hah, suffer a little longer. You'll see it eventually."
Truth was, Mercer just enjoyed teasing her... who told her to talk so recklessly lately?
V pouted and muttered, "Like I even care. Whatever, go get some sleep. I'm out."
Mercer waved and shoved his hands into his pockets, heading deeper into the camp.
Back in the tent, Lucy was still awake as expected, hunched over her computer writing code for a Quickhack chip. She glanced up at him, checking that he was still in one piece, then asked, "Everything go smoothly?"
Mercer nodded, took a sip of water, and tossed his jacket onto a nearby coat rack. "All good."
She didn't press further, but as he got ready for bed, Mercer casually filled her in on the night's events. Lucy listened quietly.
She waited until he had finished washing up and settled into the netrunner station before softly saying, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight. You should rest early too," Mercer reminded her, then pulled up the thin blanket and relaxed into the chair, closing his eyes.
It felt nice having someone waiting for him at home after a long day.
Seeing that he was genuinely settling down to sleep, Lucy also stopped working. She lay down on the mattress, covered herself with a thin blanket, and soon drifted off to the sound of his breathing.
—--
The next morning, Lucy was still deep asleep when Mercer woke up.
As usual, he first pulled the Morning Star AI, which had returned to his cyberdeck, onto his laptop to run a cognitive test.
The AI's intelligence had noticeably improved; clearly, it had enjoyed itself in Biotechnica's servers. With a bit more patience and nurturing, it would likely develop true sentience.
After a quick breakfast of instant food, Mercer loaded the insulated box of drug samples into the trunk, along with a drone and his L-69 Zhuo shotgun, then drove straight to the motel where V was staying.
Unsurprisingly, she was still fast asleep.
But she got ready quickly... Mercer had only been waiting downstairs for ten minutes when V came down yawning.
"So what's first?" V slid into Mercer's Mizutani Shion, stretching her long legs out and leaning back in the seat to wake herself up.
Mercer unceremoniously tossed her a can of Spunky Monkey. V grinned, picked it up, and shook it at him. "Oh, you actually noticed I like this stuff?"
"You're probably the only one who would enjoy what's basically corn syrup mixed with water. Doesn't it make you sick?"
Mercer teased as he started the car.
V gave him a look that said he just didn't get it. "Do you have any idea how many calories are in this can? When I get sick of those instant jelly cups, I rely on this to fill the calorie gap!"
"Besides, it's sweet and delicious. You've lived too comfortably... you've never known what it's like to go without sugar for a long time."
"This drink costs more than a full meal, so you gotta go for the best bang for your buck! It has twice the sugar content of your precious NiCola!"
V popped the tab, took a few hearty gulps, and let out a satisfied "Aah!"
Mercer shook his head, truly unaccustomed to the habit of drinking a beverage solely for its calorie content.
He glanced at the time displayed in his cybereye. "Let's go collect our million eddies first."
V was initially excited but then cautiously suggested, "Maybe we should switch cars and grab some masks? Those corporate execs aren't easy to mess with. What if it's a trap?"
"Relax. Anything someone with 6 Intelligence can think of, I've already considered. See that drone behind us? I'm not exactly planning to meet Dr. Cuno anytime soon."
After Mercer finished, V shot him a resentful glance and muttered, "What's so great about high Intelligence? What's wrong with 6? If you sent Rebecca and Pilar, those two might not even score higher than me."
Mercer thought for a moment and said, "Rebecca might be around your level, but Pilar's definitely a bit higher. He's something of a street tech expert... you need some brains to handle those mechanical gadgets."
"What? No way! That guy Pilar's big head might not react faster than his little head. Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
V waved her hand confidently, convinced there was no way her Intelligence was lower than Pilar's.
But when she noticed Mercer staying silent, seemingly holding back laughter, she quickly backtracked with newfound caution. "Then again, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I've got such standout qualities, it's only natural to have a shortcoming or two. Someone like Pilar, who seems useless everywhere else, might actually have a specialty."
"Haha~" Mercer couldn't help but laugh.
V rolled her eyes. "Knew you were up to no good, just waiting to make fun of me, huh?"
She stared at Mercer's pale, plain mask, her curiosity itching. "Anyway, since there's nobody around now, show me what you look like."
"Quiet, I'm listening to the news."
Mercer deliberately turned on the car radio, avoiding the subject entirely, which made V cross her arms and sulk in silence.
You had to admit, she was really quite pretty when she wasn't talking.
"Good morning, Night City! I'm your main man, Stan! Today's dead pool is a surprising forty-eight!
Even juicier... yesterday afternoon, on the highway to the southern checkpoint, there was a mind-blowing heist!
A mysterious group of Edgerunners took out a whole truckload of Biotechnica employees in just ten seconds! And get this... the vehicle those Biotechnica folks were driving was a Militech Behemoth!
The Behemoth was left blocking a one-way lane, causing a full half-hour traffic jam. NCPD and Biotechnica were seeing red, but our mysterious raiders had already vanished without a trace!
Ha! Bet a lot of you lost money today!
Shoutout to those unnamed Edgerunners... it's been a while since Night City saw a corporate case this bold! Wonder if Biotechnica will retaliate!
Now, turning our attention to Pacifica... Haitians are demonstrating again, and Colonel Hansen's Barghest in Dogtown has clashed once more with Pacifica's NCPD.
Many are predicting Pacifica's NCPD will have to pack up and leave sooner rather than later. Things are about to get interesting.
Will the NCPD ultimately suppress Pacifica, or will Pacifica expel the NCPD and become Night City's 'free zone'? Let's wait and see together!
News from Heywood: tensions between the 6th Street and Valentinos are escalating, with casualties from turf wars increasing daily.
Last night, 6th Street launched a raid on Valentinos' territory, causing significant financial and human losses.
But I bet you're not surprised... because that's just Night City!
If you've got insider info, place your bets on today's Body Lottery! I'm guessing today's death toll will be even higher than yesterday's!
I'm your main man Stan! Join me as we kick off another day in the city of dreams!"
As the radio fell silent, V could no longer hold back her grin. Once music started playing, she excitedly reached over and slapped Mercer's shoulder twice, producing metallic clangs.
"Damn it, don't break my parts!" Mercer glared at her, annoyed. "Do you even know your own strength?"
"It's not that bad!" V chuckled awkwardly, pretending to gently pat his shoulder before bursting with excitement again. "Did you hear that? We made the news!"
"Holy shit! I've gotta hit up Afterlife today and brag... we're practically legends now!"
V was so thrilled she nearly spilled her half-finished Spunky Monkey.
"If you're not worried about getting your name, V, added to Biotechnica's most-wanted list early, I don't mind you being even more flashy."
V looked at him blankly. "Isn't that inevitable? With your talent for stirring up trouble, we'll be driven out of Night City sooner or later. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Damn, you're wiser than you look!" Mercer exclaimed in surprise.
V raised a fist. "Want me to test how durable that metal shell of yours is?"
"That was a compliment! Didn't your auto-translate tell you it's an ancient Chinese saying praising someone's wisdom?"
Bantering and laughing, they soon arrived in Pacifica.
It was now the most chaotic part of Night City, where hulking members of the Animals or Haitian Voodoo Boys could be spotted at any moment.
Mercer parked the car near an abandoned construction site and began contacting Diana Cuno.
Diana had already prepared the CredChip and was now sitting anxiously on a bench along a coastal road in Pacifica, waiting for Mercer's message.
Mercer launched a drone, scanning the area from above to confirm there were no ambushes before remotely piloting it to hover above her.
The coastal road was open and sparse, with a large, beautiful Ferris wheel not far away. Unfortunately, those areas had become contested territory between the Animals and the Voodoo Boys, off-limits to outsiders, a waste of prime real estate.
[?: Good morning, Dr. Cuno.]
Diana had already noticed the approaching drone. As her cybereye displayed a message from an unknown contact, she knew... it was the blackmailers.
Quite cautious.
Diana felt a wave of relief wash over her at the sight. Despite having been up all night, the stimulant shot she'd taken earlier left her completely free of fatigue, her mind razor-sharp.
"It's me. I've loaded the money you asked for onto the chip."
Diana waved the oversized CredChip in her hand at the drone.
[?: If I were you, I wouldn't flaunt that so carelessly... at your nine o'clock, some Voodoo Boys have had their eyes on you for a while now.]
Diana looked up in a panic. Sure enough, a group of street thugs dressed like typical hoodlums, smoking on the corner not far away, were glancing in her direction from time to time.
She feigned composure. "I assume since you arranged to meet me here and didn't allow me to bring bodyguards, you'll take responsibility for my safety, right? If I die, there won't be any deal to discuss."
[?: Fair enough. Place the chip in the compartment, and you're free to go.]
A storage box hung beneath the drone. Without another word, Diana opened it, placed the chip inside, and then asked nervously, "What about the recording?"
[?: Let me collect the payment first. If the money checks out, the video will be sent to your inbox. By the way, I'd advise you to prepare yourself... I plan to sell the server data and Biotechnica's poisoning incident in that town for a tidy sum.]
Diana rubbed her temples in frustration. "I know. I'll pin it all on Joanne. Please, just cooperate like we agreed. You help me make a clean exit from this mess, and I'll get you the equipment you want. And of course, the money... I promise you won't walk away empty-handed."
[?: Acceptable. But I think it's time for you to leave. Don't you agree?]
Diana glanced at the eager Voodoo Boys in the distance and without another word, got up and slipped back into her car.
She was riding in a self-driving Delamain sedan... fully bulletproof, driverless, serviced solely by an AI named Delamain, which could even activate combat mode to protect her in emergencies.
Delamain was the only company in Night City licensed for AI-driven autonomous vehicles. Ever since the corporation "independently developed" the Delamain AI, it had rapidly dominated the city's entire taxi market in recent years.
From pricing to service, it overwhelmingly crushed all its competitors.
Now, having recently completed the transition to full AI operation, Delamain had officially laid off all its human drivers, replacing them entirely with self-driving AI systems.
Whether for privacy or safety, it had become the top choice for many of Night City's elites when traveling publicly.
Seeing her get into the Delamain, the Voodoo Boys exchanged glances and without hesitation piled into their own car... they'd seen her place something in that drone.
Excitedly, they sped off in pursuit of the drone's general direction, with one street kid even attempting to use a quickhack to bring the drone down.
It was, in a way, like showing off one's amateur skills in front of a master, a certain kind of poetic irony.
The drone's standard scanning and signal transmission system couldn't help Mercer establish a network connection with them from such a distance.
But when that street kid foolishly tried to hack the drone and actively linked up with it…
That meant he had voluntarily connected himself to Mercer's network.
So, what was the result?
"Watch me hack that drone down." The Voodoo Boys netrunner's excited voice had barely faded when his eyes suddenly widened and his hands began to tremble.
Mercer took just three steps and less than a second to turn the Voodoo Boy's brain into mush.
First, he used the drone's cyberdeck to lock onto the Voodoo Boy's network signal.
Second, he established a data link between the boy's network and his own through the drone's cyberdeck.
Third, he sent a quickhack directly into the Voodoo Boy's brain... the netrunner only had time to see the "BREACHED" warning flash before his consciousness vanished.
Mercer didn't even need to focus... he just mindlessly provided processing power to the quickhack, delivering the program to the Voodoo Boys netrunner's brain in under three seconds.
The delay was only due to the limited data transmission speed of the drone's cyberdeck.
Then came the classic move: using the initial hack as the core to spread the virus through the squad's subnet.
In a chain reaction of infection, within mere seconds, the cybereyes of several Voodoo Boys in the car were flooded with a single line of crimson text that dominated their entire vision.
[FATAL SYSTEM ERROR]
[FLATLINE]
When the glowing red skull flashed the signal of death in their cybereyes, it meant their brain-computer biometric systems had already sentenced their physical bodies to termination.
Diana, who hadn't gotten far, instinctively glanced back just in time to see the Voodoo Boys' car veer straight toward the roadside barrier, plunge off the highway, and tumble onto the beach below.
Before the car went over the edge, Diana's cybereye clearly captured the sight of blue arcs of electricity crackling around their heads inside the vehicle, followed by flames erupting from their skulls.
They were killed remotely through the net? In just a few breaths?
Her body trembled slightly, and cold sweat instantly drenched her back.
What kind of monsters had set their sights on her?
—--
"Woo-hoo!!"
"We're rich!! A! We're fucking rich! Goddamn, nothing beats hitting corpos! Can we pull a few more jobs? Who's next? Militech? Arasaka? Kang Tao?
Tell me, which corp's dogs have the deepest pockets? Ah, screw it, let me hold this a while longer! This is a million eddies!"
V clutched the small case tightly, looking like she wanted to either kiss it or devour it whole.
Mercer couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. "Not scared of drawing corporate attention anymore? I thought you were terrified of their agents."
"Damn right, now they should be scared of me!" V glared fiercely, wearing an expression that dared anyone to come try their luck.
Typical V... a monster forged by capitalism.
Mercer chuckled as he retrieved the drone.
"Let's go turn in the contract. There's at least another 300k eddies waiting for us."
V immediately scrambled into the passenger seat, still refusing to let go of the million eddies.
Mercer didn't bother teasing her... let the kid enjoy her moment.
The car pulled out of Pacifica and headed straight for Jig-Jig Street in Kabuki.
Mercer got out of the car and was about to call for V to come along, but V stepped out holding the box in her arms, making Mercer rub his temples in exasperation.
V would never dare to leave a million eurobucks in the car! It seemed she wouldn't let that fortune out of her sight for even a second until the payment for the chip was safely transferred to her bank account.
Mercer simply let her stay in the vehicle while he took the case containing the medicine to meet Wakako.
The same familiar security guard stood at the corridor leading to the office, but this time, he was noticeably more courteous toward Mercer.
"Ms. Wakako is waiting for you inside."
The guard even offered a slight smile and a nod, a far cry from his previous arrogant demeanor. Now, he seemed almost friendly.
Mercer gave a curt acknowledgment and walked down the hallway into Wakako's office.
The elderly woman greeted him with a warm smile, not even waiting for him to speak first.
"Good morning, A. It seems our assignment went smoothly?"
"The drug samples are here, and the data on the immunity agent is in this."
Mercer placed a storage chip on the desk, then paused before adding, "I also retrieved some interesting intel and data from Biotechnica's servers. As agreed, you'll need to offer me a fair price."
"Of course, child. I never play games when it comes to this," Wakako replied, her eyes fixed on him expectantly.
Without wasting time, Mercer pulled out another chip and set it on the table. "This is a list of valuable data I extracted and refined from their database. Take a look, find buyers, and give me your offer. If the price is right, I'll send the relevant data directly to whichever email you specify."
Wakako picked up the chip and placed it back on the desk. "Good. But just to be safe, I think it's better if we exchange the data via physical storage chips. You know how many tricks netrunners have up their sleeves these days."
Mercer nodded. "That works. I'll wait for your message then. The transfer can wait a bit. By the way, I was wondering if you might know any ways to... minimize taxes, Ms. Wakako?"
"Tax avoidance?"
Wakako looked at him with appreciation. "Not many mercs think that far ahead from the start. It's simple... I know a bank where you can speak to professionals and open an 'offshore account.'"
"How does it work?" Mercer asked, clearly interested.
"While most corporations comply with Night City's tax laws, some European-based banking institutions couldn't care less about this city's rules.
Just state your intent, and you can apply for an offshore account. Money deposited there is treated as income earned in a special low-tax zone overseas. It gets automatically laundered once before landing in your account.
You only pay a 2% tax on deposits to the jurisdiction where the account is opened. After that, it's just a 0.1% service fee per transaction.
Essentially, every expense you make is deducted directly from your offshore account. Night City only sees your spending, not your earnings.
It's a special service banks offer to merc teams... tailored for individuals with high income and spending power. Only those they consider 'VIP' clients are eligible.
Of course, if you unexpectedly die someday, don't expect these vampires to return your money. They'll hide your accounts so thoroughly that anyone trying to claim the inheritance will be tied up in legal battles for ages. Then you'd still have to pay a hefty inheritance tax locally just to transfer your funds back."
After Wakako finished speaking, Mercer immediately nodded decisively. "This is the one."
They would use this type of account to evade taxes temporarily. Later, Mercer planned to establish a legitimate company and conduct tax-free operations through corporate channels. This wasn't difficult... after all, in 2076, Night City had outright exempted 32 corporations from income tax, showcasing just how paradise-like this city was for companies.
But for ordinary folks, it was a different story. Even if you only earned ten thousand eurodollars a year, you still had to dutifully pay up. Night City's tax threshold started at 1,000 eurodollars per month; once you hit that amount, you were slapped with at least a 25% personal income tax.
Setting up such an account was essential because money stored in the CredChip of a personal chip, while escaping bank surveillance, also meant that if the data got corrupted or stolen, those funds would simply vanish into thin air.
"Go to this European Economic Community bank. I'll inform the manager that you're with me. He'll charge you a service fee at most and won't waste time vetting your credentials. You and your crew can all apply... he'll be more than happy to assist. After all, individual service fees might seem small, but mercs earn fast and spend fast. The back-and-forth generates bank activity and profits, not to mention if anything unexpected happens..."
Wakako chuckled and sent the information to Mercer's comms software.
Mercer nodded. "Thanks, Wakako. Once the account is set up, I'll transfer the funds directly to this offshore account."
"No problem," Wakako replied with a smile.
Mercer then turned and headed back to the car, where a dazed V was still clutching the one million eurodollars, glancing around nervously as if afraid someone might snatch it away.
"Where to next?"
"To the bank to open new accounts. All of you need one too."
Mercer was brief and to the point. He took V to City Center, found the bank Wakako had mentioned, and had all the accounts set up in under twenty minutes. Even Rebecca and the others' accounts were handled remotely with just a network connection.
The cost was a 1,000 eurodollar express VIP processing fee... essentially, you had to fill these corpos' bellies first, or else special accounts like these couldn't be opened. The bank corpo's underlying message was clear: pay up, and you get an account immediately; don't pay, and you'll be stuck waiting in line for who knows how long, not that you'd ever see the process for these offshore accounts anyway.
It was only a thousand eurodollars, so Mercer didn't hesitate and paid straight away. Only V glared fiercely at the corpo employee, looking very much like she was planning to ambush him that night. Her intense stare made the corpo speed up the paperwork noticeably.
Then, using the bank's channels, Mercer deposited the one million eurodollars from the CredChip and the nearly 400,000 eurodollars in spare change from the CredChip, allocating them according to the agreed-upon shares.
The team funds and Mercer's own money were all deposited into Mercer's personal account, while the others received their shares as previously agreed: V took 30%, and the remaining 10% each was transferred to their individual accounts.
Mercer also proactively distributed Wakako's unpaid 300,000 eddies proportionally in advance, avoiding the 0.1% service fee for transfers later.
Every little bit adds up, choom.
Mercer did the math: just the upfront 2% "tax" deducted from the deposits amounted to nearly 30,000 eddies... enough to make V risk their life several times over.
Tsk tsk, capitalists really know how to rake it in!
As for the claim about paying taxes to low-tax zones overseas... where on earth is there a 2% tax rate?
Those places are clearly colonies controlled by the banks themselves. Chances are, the banks even collect the taxes there... the money undoubtedly stays in their hands.
With the banking matters settled, Mercer didn't hesitate and immediately dialed Mr. Hands' number.
Now that his pockets were full, it was time to get himself a proper place to call home!
--------
7700 words.
Bonus chapter @2100 power stones.
Since we've reached the top 4, I'll post an extra chapter a little later to celebrate. Thank you all!